Alerts – Freedom of Expression Tracker

State threatens to launch criminal investigation against The Post for possession of "classified" document

Incident ref:

ZM2109/15-6428

Incident category:

Threatened

Date of incident:

21 September 2015

Perpetrator / Facilitator:

Government official

The Post newspaper has previously been harassed on State Security charges, despite the information being of no threat to national security or public interest. The charges have been based upon an arbitrary clause of publication of Classified Information

Post proprietor Fred Mmembe and one of his reporters Mukosha Funga, were recently arrested on a similar charge of publication of a classified document, and are still pending appearance in the High Court which has jurisdiction over State Security prosecutions.

MISA Stance:

MISA contacted the newspaper and is currently discussing ways in which they can contribute towards the defense in court through solidarity, so as to highlight the need for amendment of the State Security act. MISA has also been monitoring and collecting statements from the affected reporters.